Stenhouse Testimony on Bill to Codify Sexually-Explicit Materials in K-12 Schools
NOTE: Below is the testimony I submitted to the RI Senate Committee on Education for its March 12 hearing on Senate bill No. 0238, which would prohibit parents and the community from seeking to remove sexually-explicit and age-inappropriate materials from K-12 public schools.
—— Original Message ——
From “Mike Stenhouse” <mstenhouse@rifreedom.org>
To “Slegislation@rilegislature.gov” <Slegislation@rilegislature.gov>
Date 3/11/2025 8:45:28 AM
Subject Opposition Testimony for S-0238
TO: Senate Committee on Education
RE: S-0238
I am writing to oppose S-0238, which is based on many false premises, and is an assault on Ocean State families.
- The 1st Amendment does not mean “anything goes at anytime”.
- Corrupting young minds with age-inappropriate content is not a 1A right.
- Making content decisions in public schools based the age of students … is not government censorship, nor is it book banning … it’s common sense.
Protecting the innocence of young children and preserving parental rights is paramount, while government-run education must keep in its lane.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects many broad freedoms – speech, religion, press, assembly, and petitioning the government – but it’s not a free-for-all. The line is drawn is where words and content infringe on someone else’s rights or well-bing, or upon public safety.
Morally, exposing kids to explicit content – like detailed descriptions of sexual acts or graphic imagery – undermines a family’s right to instill its own ethical standards within their own children.
Regarding parental-rights, parents have a fundamental liberty interest in directing their kids’ upbringing. Teachers’ unions and woke-trained librarians have proven they cannot be trusted with our children’s social development.
Psychologically, many psych studies – like those from the American Psychological Association – show kids’ brains aren’t wired to process complex sexual content at early ages … and can actually be harmful to their emotional development.
It is not the proper role of government to utilize taxpayer-funded education to indoctrinate students with any political or cultural agenda, like human sexuality. Per a 2022 poll, 70% of parents do not want this kind of explicit materials in their kids’ schools. (1)
Respectfully,
Mike Stenhouse, CEO
RI Center for Freedom & Prosperity
